Happily Ever After
by Zandrellia
Summary: Sometimes you can't help who you fall in love with. What do you do when you're given the opportunity to express that love only to know you'll only be hurting the one you love?
1. Chapter 1:Once Upon a Time

**Happily Ever After**

Obligatory Disclaimer: I clearly do not own any of the characters within (even those who may or may not be originals), any of the settings, concepts, or other potentially copy-written works within this piece. I am merely a vessel; A messenger who conveys a story, nothing more, nothing less.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Once Upon a Time<strong>

"Once upon a time…" He heard her voice in his mind as if it were yesterday and he shuddered a little before setting his work aside to bring a hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve his growing headache. Why exactly he was thinking of her right now was beyond him. Her voice just kept coming back to him, as if she knew he had been listening the whole time and was really telling the story to him.

Of course, that wasn't how it really was. She had been telling the story to a room full of babbling, smelly children who she seemed to adore for some reason that was still beyond him. Still, he seemed pretty sure that she had known he was there somehow. She would always pause at his favorite parts of the story and omitted much of the romantic, sugar coated scenes when his interest was highest.

He wasn't sure why or when he had started to frequent her storytelling times. One day he had simply decided to go visit with his former ward, who was becoming a young woman in her own right and needed her protective father-like figure to make more appearances as of late. The next thing he knew he heard laughter and found his feet moving of their own accord.

At first he tried his best to ignore it and just listened for a short while, passing it off as mere boredom or curiosity. Most people just considered that he truly had a fondness for small children and thought little of it. It wasn't until his own half-brother came up to him with a small laugh and glanced over at him with that infuriating smile and made such an offhand comment that he had ever put much thought behind his behavior.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you had a crush on my wife, Sesshomaru." InuYasha said with a grin, his stupid ears twitching upon his head as he displayed his obvious amusement.

The elder brother closed his eyes and attempted to count to ten silently. He only made it to 4 before he decided being angry was far better than whatever the hanyou was implying. "I was merely bored while waiting for Rin to finish." He gestured behind him where, conveniently, the young woman-child was washing laundry along the riverbed a few yards away.

Lucky for Sesshomaru his half-brother was truly not very bright as he accepted the outright lie with a shrug and offered some dried meat. The typically stoic lord took the food and stared down at it as if it were the root of all his problems. His angry glares were ripped away from the innocent meat as his sister-in-law came up to stand next to his brother, giving a polite bow of the head to her elder. He nodded in return, something he never did for any other human. No one ever seemed to notice.

Or so he thought.

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><p>After the defeat of Naraku and the restoration of the Shikon jewel things seemed to settle into their respective places. Sango and Miroku married, Rin remained in Kaede's village where she could thrive with other humans, and InuYasha married Kagome. Sesshomaru, however, was left feeling a pang of something he couldn't quite describe.<p>

Emptiness? Boredom? Or perhaps… he received his answer soon enough as he began to spend more time near the little village. He and his half-brother were on much better terms, both having matured greatly, and he even found humor in the now tamed monk's antics.

It was she who really brought him out of his shell, however; she who thrust loads of laundry into his arms as if he had been waiting for them willingly and began to trek to the riverbed, not even requesting that he follow but expecting it. The young woman made it very clear that she wasn't afraid of him when she often volunteered him for tasks simply because he was around.

"Sesshomaru can help me go get some firewood."

"Sesshomaru go get the laundry off the line, please."

"Sesshomaru, take your boots off unless you want to clean the floor!"

The more he spent time with her the more he realized something that he really wasn't sure if he wanted to ever admit out loud. He had found himself lost so suddenly that he didn't have much idea of what had happened until the damage was already done. He had fallen in love with his brother's wife.

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><p>Letting out a low growl Sesshomaru threw the equivalent of a huge tantrum as he shoved his work off his desk before slamming a fist on his desk. That was hundreds of years ago and by now he had been the one to outlive them all. Even his nieces and nephews had died long ago; few of them leaving any offspring until the bloodline had all but died away leaving him.<p>

He had even been there when she had passed on of old age. He never had told her. Coward.

Jaken rushed into the room with a squawk. He was really getting too old for this! Why did his master insist on throwing a daily temper tantrum the older he became? It was getting rather predictable and not half as interesting as it had been when it started! After picking up the papers and popping his old back the toad looked at his lord with weary eyes. "Lord Sesshomaru do you need anything?"

He looked up towards his retainer and considered an answer for that question. Did he need something? Yes. Could he have it? No. A low growl came from him again as he began to instinctually bare his teeth and Jaken backed away a little. Sesshomaru felt a light suddenly go off in his head as an idea struck him. Of course! If he felt distracted by the girl he would find something new to distract him! It was perfect, what could go wrong? "Jaken, it is time I find a mate."

The toad was surprised at this but gave a nod. Finding a suitable mate would be difficult. Many of the honorable youkai tribes had all but faded into humanity at this point. "Does Lord Sesshomaru have any preferences?" To that the demon lord shook his head and took up his papers, once again getting back to work. Jaken took that as his signal to leave and went to his own desk in the next room to consider how he might find a mate for his master.

Glancing down at his desk he realized the answer was quite simple! He put advertisements in the paper for staff all the time! Keeping good employees proved to be difficult whenever Lord Sesshomaru displayed his usual temper. Smiling to himself he began to type out a lovely personal ad, once completed he placed it on top of the other ads he had already made to send to the paper. He hoped good news would come their way soon. The master had been rather difficult for some time and Jaken never quite understood why, too much exposure to humans, perhaps?

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><p>Kagome sat at the table with her family, her mother and grandfather with serious expressions on their faces. "I called you all here because there is something important we must discuss." Her mother said before letting out a heavy sigh and staring down at the stack of bills before her. "We are running low on funds. Visitors are infrequent and those who do stop by leave very little money these days. Our shop is barely staying afloat. We are going to have to make some sacrifices and do whatever we can to help our family make it through these tough times."<p>

They discussed what each of them could do to help out but Kagome was worried that she might not be doing enough. She wanted to help more than doing extra chores and not buying junk food. With a determined nod she took up the local paper and started glancing through the ads. There were a few jobs she might be able to do but most of them would likely want to know if she could legally work – which technically she couldn't as a student. She almost gave up until a particular ad stuck out:

**WANTED**

Maid/Housekeeper/Personal Assistant

Job will encompass cleaning, cooking, laundry, as well as some light office work and occasionally helping with the office manager's needs. Must be a hard worker and not ask unnecessary questions.

Hours and pay will be decided based on experience at interview.

This was followed by a phone number and an email address. She jumped up and decided to call the number to set up an interview. It sounded perfect. They didn't want her to ask questions so they likely wouldn't ask her any either. After leaving a message she set the paper down and went upstairs, pleased with herself and totally missing the personal ad for a youkai she'd later come to know very well.


	2. Chapter 2:Something in the Air

**Chapter Two: Something in the Air…**

Everyone had known.

Everyone in that tiny village knew how he looked at her, how he lingered just a few moments longer, how he slowly stopped questioning anything she demanded of him.

Everyone knew that Sesshomaru loved Kagome.

Everyone, that was, except Sesshomaru and Kagome.

In his defense he had never really understood the emotion in the first place. It was rather new for him. His mother was not exactly overflowing with maternal warmth and his father, while apparently oozing with the capacity of love, seemed incompetent in conveying that message to his son. It was one of the few skills he never could pass on, even after all this time.

In her defense, Kagome didn't really think much of Sesshomaru's regular presence or acceptance of her. From the time period she was used to it was nothing strange to have good relations with your husband's family and, to her mind, it made sense to have the best relations with her brother-in-law. He was practically their only blood family remaining!

She also wasn't stupid by any means, she knew that having a good relationship with him would help the brothers to heal the great wound between them and help him be a better uncle to her children. Sure enough, he did exactly as she expected he would. Sesshomaru and InuYasha had a much better relationship and he was a wonderful and overly protective uncle until the last of the bloodline had passed.

At first several of the villagers made complaints. InuYasha and Kagome had a very good relationship and everyone looked up to them. It was unheard of for a brother to be that close to his sister-in-law. Finally, Miroku came up to the hanyou and asked if he needed help in getting a hint to his brother that he should back off a little. He expected the usually moody boy to react violently and threaten his brother, as he would have before.

Instead, InuYasha just laughed. He was wiser than they had all gave him credit for and he trusted Kagome immensely. He also knew his brother better than anyone and knew that his pride and honor would never allow him to do anything undignified so long as she was his brother's wife.

Unfortunately for InuYasha, his wisdom never really went past that point. He never really considered what might happen if he should die and she would no longer be his wife.

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><p>He knew she was there the moment she set foot in his building. Her unique fragrance was hard to miss and she, unlike many other modern females, did not coat themselves in masking odors. Closing his eyes he slowly took in her scent while repressing a shudder and biting his own lip.<p>

Sesshomaru really couldn't believe his own behavior, honestly. It was like he had lost his mind! Worse, to a female that was also human!

His disdain for humans had diminished greatly over the years. He wasn't an idiot and knew that he would have to accept their existence sooner than later in order to conduct business and survive. Particularly in these times, having the ability to bribe humans was essential to any successful youkai business.

Here in his own little corner of the world he paid handsome fees to assure that humans remained, for a large part, ignorant of their existence. It was a small matter to pay them. He could work extensively longer hours than the average human, had one of the longest work experience sections of any resume, and besides, working hard kept his mind busy and off of past distractions.

Distractions like the tapping of her little blue flats as they crossed his hardwood floors.

Distractions like that pale yellow scarf that seemed to scream out "look at my lovely post"!

Distractions like her cornflower blue dress that tapered down her slim frame only to end in a far-too-short skirt just above her bare knees.

Distractions like the sound of her voice entering his life again without it being a memory.

Work could wait.

He stood and began to go out into the other room to greet her when he stopped himself, reaching up to rub his temples with his long fingers. Idiot! Mentally he tried to talk himself out of it. There was no reason he needed to see the human female. She wasn't even worth all of this frustration to begin with!

Internally his own mind laughed at him. If she really wasn't worth it then why had he wasted so many years on her? Years when she didn't even exist!

He slumped down into his chair, letting out a groan of frustration before taking in a deep breath and more of her intoxicating scent. His eyes fluttered closed as his mind raced back to memories of the past.

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><p>She laughed and pulled her hair behind her ear as she knelt by the river bed, scrubbing away at the clothes while Sesshomaru stood beside her dutifully holding onto the cleaned clothes. He didn't seem to ever notice or even care that they made him wet anymore. He had been wondering how many times he had done this exact same thing with her before her voice broke into his thoughts.<p>

"Do you ever feel lonely, Lord Sesshomaru?" She asked, not looking at him and focused on her laundry. He raised an eyebrow before looking out at the village around him and then down at her.

"This Sesshomaru has no need to worry about such emotions."

At that she paused and looked up at him with eyes full of concern. "Really; you don't ever wonder what it would be like to have your own family? Having a companion can be a wonderful thing, you know. You should find yourself a pretty wife!" She said before wringing out the piece of cloth she had been scrubbing.

In that moment he felt the wind pick up and he turned into it, closing his eyes and trying his best to stay composed. Why was it so hard to stay that way around her? He felt the weight in his hands shift and noticed she put the garment with the others, waiting to be put on the line before going back to her pile of dirty clothes and taking a new one up.

She let out a small wistful sigh and he looked down on her as her eyes became glassy. He knew that look. How he hated that look. She was thinking about InuYasha. "I just think back on how wonderful it was to find someone and how very lonely life would be without someone. I would hate to see you lonely forever. Why don't you get yourself a girl and settle down?"

Her eyes connected with his in that moment and he shook of the electric feeling racing up his spine. He pretended that he was considering her suggestion before looking away again. His reply, however, came out soft and barely audible to anyone but them. "There is no one suitable."

Kagome caught the hitch in his voice, however, and knew that what he really meant was that he'd found someone who was unavailable. He was just too proud to admit that. Her brow furrowed as she considered who it might be. Kagura? It was possible, they were very close and Kagura seemed to truly have affection for him. She was, unfortunately, long gone and that caused her to feel sad for them both. She couldn't imagine life without InuYasha, after all! With a smile she went back to her work, leaving them both in their thoughts.

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><p>Sesshomaru decided he had quite enough of being a coward and stood, bracing himself before walking out into the other room where his retainer's desk stood. He came into the room with a bored expression, acting as if he had no idea who was in their presence. It was then that he noticed just how occupied the room was. There were women, several women, dotting out across his office like weeds.<p>

He turned to look at Jaken and his eyes tightened as he fought hard not to growl out at the puny toad. "What are all of these women doing here?"

Jaken did pretty well in not backing down. "They are responding to the ads I put in the paper, Lord Sesshomaru. We need a new maid as the last one was too weak and you requested I find you a suitable mate." The tall demon felt a vein pop out in his forehead and took a slow deep breath, taking in more of Kagome's scent which did wonders to calm him. "Would Lord Sesshomaru care for an introduction?" At his master's not Jaken turned to the women and yelled out: "All those here for the maid interview please stand on this side of the desk." He pointed towards the side where his chair was. "All others please remain on that side of the room."

The women became very quiet and then suddenly, someone moved. He watched her as she drifted across the room to stand behind Jaken with a small smile. Kagome, of course, had applied for the maid position and was the only applicant. Sesshomaru already felt his irritation rising. He turned to Kagome and pointed at her. "You. Stay here." He said firmly through gritted teeth. Turning he gestured to the other women. "The rest of you… leave." With that he turned on his heel and stormed into his office.

Kagome just stood there, watching all the beautiful women leave. They all seemed insulted and angry and she couldn't blame them entirely. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if that meant she got the job. Little did she know that she was in for more than she had bargained for!


	3. Chapter 3:A Matter of Convenience

**Chapter Three – A Matter of Convenience**

Kagome shifted uncomfortably standing behind the odd looking creature. They seemed to both be males but this one looked ugly and covered in warts like a frog or maybe a toad? The other one, she closed her eyes to think back on his appearance. He certainly was something to look at! Tall and slender but still seemed to be muscular with long fingers and a refined face. Oh and that hair! How she would have loved to run her fingers through his hair! It looked like water or silk, so fine and smooth just lying there against his back so naturally. She blushed a little and reached up to smack her cheeks lightly when he called out to her forcefully, causing her to jump.

"Are you going to stand out there all day?" He growled out. He didn't remember her being this infuriating before! She ran into the room quickly and made a hurried and low bow once she reached the middle of the room. He smirked at her antics, she certainly was more entertaining. "Your name, age, experience, and expected salary." He demanded, even though he honestly knew most and the rest he cared little about. He couldn't have her wondering just yet, though. She obviously had no idea who he was yet. Curious.

She smiled a little before answering. "My name is Kagome Higurashi and I am…" Her eyes widened a little and her voice hitched. "Seventeen."

He looked up at her with a disbelieving gaze and the tension between them grew. She was certainly not seventeen. If she had been seventeen she would already be back in the past, playing house with his idiot half-brother. That thought caused his face to contort into an angry scowl but it quickly melted when he saw her feared reaction. Right. She didn't really know him yet, did she? "Miss Higurashi I assure you that you can be honest here. As you see my retainer and I are not exactly human and we have no time for business with liars. We expect that if you are to be employed here that you can give us as much of your honesty as possible and in return we will do the same for you."

Silently he cheered in his mind as he watched her relax and let out a shaky breath. He had done well in relaxing her by being upfront and truthful while offering her honesty for her honesty. He knew how she worked and he fully intended to use that to his advantage. "Thank you, Mr…" She trailed off and blushed as she had yet to receive his name.

"Sesshomaru, Lord Sesshomaru." He replied and watched in amusement as her eyes widened with a slight bit of understanding. Yes. That's right. I am powerful. He thought to himself.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I appreciate your honesty and your trust in me. I assure you that it will not be wasted. As I was saying before, my name is Kagome Higurashi. I am 14 years old and still in school full time. I have experience with cooking, cleaning, and other household tasks as I help my family operate our Shinto shrine."

It was his turn for his eyes to widen. "The shrine just down the road from here, you mean?" She nodded in the affirmative and his mind immediately started to put unconnected pieces together. It made so much more sense! She lived in the very location of that decrepit well just outside of that pathetic village! She grew up right next to that tree that his brother had stupidly been bound to. Of course! He felt like an idiot for not noticing before and felt a slight pang for lost time. He didn't linger too long on his thoughts, however, and went back to business. "What of your compensation? How much do you expect?"

At this question Kagome seemed unsure and his expression softened. "How much do you need, Miss Higurashi?" Her eyes widened and she blushed before looking down. "There is no need to be ashamed. I am capable of giving you whatever you desire."

She looked up at him and their eyes locked as both of them considered the enormity of what he had just said. "I… how about…" Again shame crept up onto her face; she hadn't really considered asking for a wage. She had expected to just be told how much she would earn.

He hated seeing her like this and so he reached down for his laptop, pulling it out of his desk drawer, before opening it and starting to type. His fingers flew expertly across the keys as he quickly typed out a contractual agreement. Once it was printed he took it up and signed it, handing it over to her before the ink could fully dry with a smile. "Take this home to your mother and discuss this with her. I am sure you will find my offer very generous."

Kagome took the document and nodded. "Thank you."

"If you agree to work for me I expect you to be here promptly after your classes end every single day and on weekends. You may have to work late nights but I can guarantee you comfortable room and board on those nights so that you can get your rest for school. I also expect you to continue assisting your mother, as your duty is to her first and foremost. Above all, no matter what happens, you must not be late. I do not take kindly to being taken for granted. Jaken!" He called out and the little toad came running in. "See to it that she is supplied with all that she will need to do her duties. Also, give her a company card and give her a cellular phone so that I can contact her whenever I need her."

Jaken nodded before rushing a bewildered Kagome out of the room. He didn't understand why his master wanted to go through such lengths for this human but he would do as he was told. He typed a few things into his computer and then walked over to a nearby print station where a card machine was already at work. He took the card up in his hands and held it out to her.

Kagome took the card, her eyes widening when she saw her name in raised print on the small plastic. Jaken was then shoving a phone her way and she eyed it with a distasteful stare. It was so boring and ugly! She laughed a little and then looked at it and him and asked with a shaky voice. "Do you have any other colors?"

The toad youkai just stared at her in disbelief. "You will take what is given to you!" Kagome shrugged and then bowed to him, causing Jaken to flush a little. People rarely showed him such respect. She then left with a skip in her step, turning his good mood foul. What did his master see in them?

Sessomaru was in his office, contemplating the offer he had made to Kagome. Had he been too generous? He couldn't really tell what was appropriate at the moment. His mind was too full of the fact that he would get the opportunity to have her in his life, for however short a time that was.

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><p>Her mother stared at her with wide eyes before looking back down at the contract with the rather regal signature over a somewhat flowery seal next to it in shiny red ink. Wait, was that a flower? She turned the page to the side to get a better glance. "Kagome, honey, are you sure this is real?" She asked her daughter in disbelief. The offer was more than generous. If she didn't know any better she would think the man was proposing marriage to her daughter!<p>

Included with the offer was his resume, detailing his entire history. Beneath that was his family history which showed his very long lineage. Underneath that was a brief flyer explaining why it is important for Kagome to keep her emotions in check when around youkai – something about certain individuals having latent spiritual power. She stared at them in a mixture of shock and awe.

First, she had to overcome that youkai really did exist. Then she had to overcome that this man was one. Then she had to overcome that her daughter was going to be spending a great amount of her time with him.

In his offer he agreed to provide for all of Kagome's needs, including school supplies and uniforms, clothing, medical, transportation, entertainment, and food! Plus he would give her the cell phone and she had complete freedom to spend however much she needed off this fancy credit card! He would provide her with a safe room within his compound that she could utilize to sleep and study whenever he needed her to work late _and_ he required her to attend school, make good grades, while continuing to help around the shine. In exchange he agreed that he would pay all of their excessive bills for so long as they needed help. It was like a dream come true!

She looked up at her daughter with tears in her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to marry him?" Kagome just rolled her eyes and her mother laughed as she pointed to the family tree that he had provided. "Look! There is even a Kagome in his family! It must be fate!"

Kagome took the large document from her mother in disbelief. Who else would name their poor child Kagome? Wasn't that a more modern name anyway? Her brow furrowed as she stared at the names listed. So many children, this Kagome and InuYasha – she paused to giggle a little at two oddly named people – they must have really loved one another to have such a long family line. Turning the page over she found Sesshomaru's half… empty.


End file.
